The good and bad of seismic testing

Sunday

Mar 30, 2014 at 9:01 PM

Two local points of view on the controversy over seismic testing.

The controversy over seismic testing has come to the Cape Fear region, with Kure Beach's mayor writing a letter in support and the Carolina Beach Town Council voting recently to oppose it. (Wrightsville Beach aldermen passed a similar resolution in 2010). Here, Kure Beach Mayor Dean Lambeth and Randy Sturgill, a local representative of the environmental group Oceana, offer opposing viewpoints on the proposal to use seismic blasts to explore for oil and gas beneath the ocean floor.

By Dean LambethFor StarNews Media

Passions ran high at a recent town hall meeting in Kure Beach, as many residents voiced concerns about the environmental impact of seismic testing. This technique for locating undersea energy resources has sparked fierce debate since I endorsed seismic testing off of the Atlantic coast late last year.But one thing all sides should agree on is that any decisions about seismic testing should be based on sound evidence, and a look at the facts reveals that – when carried out responsibly – this technique poses little danger to the marine environment.It's estimated that more than 3 billion barrels of oil – and around 31 trillion cubic feet of natural gas – lie beneath the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf. Many of these resources are miles below the ocean floor, which makes locating them exceedingly difficult.The only practical method available to oil and gas prospectors is seismic testing, also known as seismic surveying. With this technique, compressed air is used to direct short-duration sound waves into the ocean. After bouncing off the rock layers beneath the ocean floor, the sound waves are picked up by a sensor on the surface. The resulting data helps determine the location and size of oil and natural gas deposits.It's been about three decades since such surveys were used to explore the Atlantic. Now that support for this sort of exploration is growing among area leaders, concerns about the environmental impact of seismic testing are coming to the fore.Critics argue that the sound waves emitted during seismic surveys are hazardous to marine mammals such as whales or dolphins, but conclusive support for this claim is difficult to come by. Seismic testing has been carried out for decades. In that time, no peer-reviewed research has ever shown that sounds produced during the process are harmful to marine mammals. As Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C., said during a recent hearing on Capital Hill, "I can't find a single instance where a marine mammal's death was attributed to seismic."Nevertheless, oil and gas explorers take numerous precautions to avoid disrupting marine wildlife. For instance, surveying operations employ trained animal observers. If a mammal gets too close, the test stops and doesn't begin again until the animal is clear of the area for 30 minutes. The sound used during the tests, meanwhile, is made gradually more intense, giving animals a chance to exit the vicinity before the noise reaches its peak strength.The federal government's final environmental assessment of proposed seismic surveys in the Atlantic isn't expected until later this year, but the U.S. Department of the Interior's initial draft didn't provide much cause for concern among conservationists. It found that most dangers to marine mammals were likely to be avoided.Unfortunately, opponents of seismic testing have ignored many of these findings. As one activist explained after our Kure Beach Town Council meeting, "We never know what the ecosystem impacts are with something like this until it's too late." This isn't true. And rejecting scientific evidence in this way eliminates all hope of crafting environmentally-sound energy policies.It's also worth noting that the significant economic impact that offshore oil and gas projects could have on the region. A recent report conducted by the National Ocean Industries Association showed that developing the outer continental shelf reserves would generate roughly 55,000 jobs in North Carolina over the next two decades.North Carolina, meanwhile, stands to benefit more than any other state, as oil and gas production would contribute around $4 billion to the local economy by 2035. This revenue can assist with beach revitalization, as well as help to address insurance costs that are skyrocketing on our coast, not to mention the fact that our region needs jobs to help boost our state and national economy.Conservationists should be welcoming a discussion based on scientific evidence. By attempting to shut down debate, opponents of seismic testing are muddying an issue that tis hugely important tot the economic future of this region.

Dean Lambeth is mayor of Kure Beach. He wrote a letter to federal officials endorsing seismic testing.

By Randy SturgillFor StarNews Media

Imagine you navigate your world through sound: You walk around your house, go to work, make yourself dinner and communicate with friends and family relying almost entirely on your hearing. Now, imagine trying to do all these things with dynamite going off in your neighborhood every 10 seconds, 24 hours a day, for days to weeks on end – each blast 100,000 times more intense than a jet engine.This scenario could become a reality for marine mammals and fish that live in the waters off the East Coast. This summer, President Obama and his administration will decide whether or not to approve a proposal to allow seismic blasting in the Atlantic. Seismic airguns are towed behind a large ship, sending blasts loud enough to locate oil and gas deposits miles below the seafloor. As you can imagine, this would be one of the loudest manmade sounds in the ocean.The proposed blast zone is twice the size of California, from Delaware to Florida. For dolphins, whales and fish who rely on their hearing to navigate, find food and mate, this proposal could be a death sentence. The U.S. government's own scientists state seismic blasting will seriously injure or possibly kill more than 138,000 whales and dolphins – vital parts of the ecosystem that also drive coastal tourism. Furthermore, academic studies have shown that sounds as loud as seismic blasting kill larval fish, thus killing North Carolina's fishing industry.Of course, while most of us feel some compassion for dolphins and whales, we also recognize the need for energy, and offshore oil and gas might seem like a tempting "solution." But the supposed benefits of offshore exploration are untrue. Seismic airgun blasting will do nothing for coastal communities in the long term, and will jeopardize the resources these communities depend on. Whatever oil is drilled off North Carolina's coast will not remain in the state. Rather, it will be bought and sold on a world market, leaving coastal communities with all the risk and none of the reward.If seismic blasting and offshore drilling are allowed in the Atlantic, they will not only harm wildlife, but also commercial and recreational fisheries, tourism and coastal recreation. Nearly 730,000 jobs are at risk in the blast zone alone. Tourism in North Carolina generates nearly $10 billion and supports more than 40,000 businesses and 200,000 jobs. The Outer Banks alone employ over 30,000 jobs in tourism, while Wilmington has 11,000 jobs in this sector. Recreational fishing accounts for $2 billion in sales, and employs 18,000 jobs, while commercial fishing generates $800 million in sales and over 9,000 jobs. Seismic blasting will bring no permanent jobs and no revenue will be generated.North Carolina employment in coastal communities is on the rise, one of the few states to see an increase last year. Can we really afford to sacrifice economic growth for blasting and potential oil spills in the Atlantic? North Carolina also spends substantial money on beach replenishment, which could all go to waste if seismic blasting is allowed in local waters. We all saw the horrific effects of the BP oil-spill disaster in the Gulf. Do we want to see that happen here?Last week we marked the 25th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and on March 22 a barge carrying crude oil crashed into another ship in Galveston Bay, gushing nearly 200,000 barrels of oil off the coast of Texas. With the fourth anniversary of the BP Oil spill disaster coming up next month, we need to be realistic: If they drill, they spill.North Carolina's beaches are too important to risk. Coastal communities are speaking out. Elected officials from Maine to Florida are coming out against seismic blasting. Hundreds of residents showed up to a public meeting in Kure Beach to make their voices heard. The town of Carolina Beach passed a resolution opposing seismic blasting. And other coastal towns along the East Coast have been following their lead.I encourage anyone who reads this to reach out to your mayor and urge her/him to oppose this dangerous proposal. President Obama needs to hear from the communities that will feel the brunt of seismic blasting and offshore drilling.Turning the Atlantic into a blast zone is not the way to fulfill our energy needs.

Randy Sturgill is a resident of Oak Island and a campaign organizer for Oceana's Climate and Energy Team.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.